A Brand New Chapter
by Sara Miyamoto
Summary: After four years of rivalry, Both Satoshi Ash and Shigeru Gary have had just about enough of it. They've put their differences aside, but when Shigeru leaves for the Johto territories, Satoshi just has to find him... Rated PG13 for mild language and
1. Chapter I

A Brand New Chapter

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Chapter I

By: _Shigeru_

A few notes before I get on with the story. This was created merely for the purposes of my own enjoyment, and that of others. No attempt to make monetary earnings has been made, so Nintendo, and all of the other guys with the big, nasty lawyers with the silk ties and matching hankies can sue me for all I'm worth—which isn't much, trust me.

This story, despite the title "A Brand New Chapter," will, indeed, have several chapters. More will be posted as they are written

A note to those who have read "A Future Shining Bright": For now, that story has been moved to the backburner. I will eventually get back to it, but for now, I am going to be working on this fic, which personally, I find more interesting. Just wait a while, and I hope you don't lose interest in it.

Also, a warning: This story DOES contain shounen ai. For those not familiar with the term, it is Japanese for "Boy's love." Meaning, that this story depicts certain male characters from the Pokémon series showing feelings of love for other male characters. If you cannot handle such topics, this is NOT a story for you. Please select another story for your reading pleasures. However, if you are open-minded and have no objections to a relationship between two boys, go right ahead and read.

I am going to be using the Japanese names of characters, cities, and Pokémon for this particular story. Mainly for the reason that the dub does a fairly poor job, and I HATE Shigeru's American voice. If you find something you don't know, look it up on a good information site.

One more thing before I start. I know I am throwing the new episodes out of whack, but this will take place after the "Rivalry Revival" episode, just as Shigeru is leaving for the Johto territories.

~~

It was a stunning day outside. The sun shone down on all of the things earth had to offer. A collection of various birds was chirping away their different songs, that when put together seemed to form a soothing, natural melody. It was a day of treasures able to be enjoyed just by stepping outside a door. Nature lovers usually went nuts on these days, trying to snap pictures of the beautiful surroundings.

One of the many people enjoying the sights was the person who had been repeatedly called the Pride of Masara Town. Ookido Shigeru was walking towards the west along a seldom-used path carved through the woods near the place of his birth. He was on his way to the Johto territories to continue his training, to become even stronger than he already was.

Which, some would say, to be an almost impossible task. Not an hour before, he had completely destroyed his life-long best friend, and four-year rival, Satoshi, in a Pokémon battle. Satoshi had been the one to issue the challenge. Also the one to start bragging about winning the Orange League and placing higher in the Indigo League. But the tournament held at Indigo Plateau had happened such a long time ago.

Shigeru's Ivui had extremely little trouble disbanding Satoshi's Pikachu. When the match ended, barely after it had started, Pikachu was a dirtied, wrangled mess of yellow fur, while Ivui had not even begun to breathe hard. Shigeru was surprised by how easily he had won. He had figured Satoshi as a much stronger trainer, for how well he had done in the League. But it seemed as if nothing had changed since they were nine years old.

They had both gotten very into Pokémon when they were young children. Shigeru had spent a lot of his time researching information about them, while Satoshi preferred to watch battles hosted on TV.

Even to this day, when new information about Pokémon was to be found, Shigeru went out of his way to find it and add it to his collection of knowledge. There was very little that any human knew about the wondrous creatures known as Pokémon that Shigeru himself did not know. He would most likely follow in his grandfather's footsteps when he was no longer able to fully train Pokémon on his own.

But Satoshi, for some reason, seemed unable to grow up. He was still the same innocent boy he had been when they had left Masara Town for the first time, when Professor Ookido had given out four Pokémon to beginning trainers. That had been several years ago. And yet, Satoshi had not changed one bit. He was a good trainer, true enough, but he relied mostly on pure strength, and very little strategy. And he knew, by comparison to Shigeru, nearly nothing about Pokémon. Shigeru half expected that Satoshi still pulled out his Pokédex to identify every Pokémon the younger boy came across.

But, that was now all going to be left far behind him. As soon as the battle was over, Shigeru had told Satoshi what a good job he had done. Complimented that he and Pikachu were a terrific team. Which was all true. And afterwards, he had said goodbye, turned, and headed for the forest he was now walking through, on his way to Wakaba Town to sign up for the Johto League. A Pokémon League erected in the western territories just a few years ago, but it was already the size of the Indigo League stationed in Kanto.

It would be an excellent test of his abilities. Also, he had much to learn, now. While he had been training—in a place only he knew—almost one hundred new species had been identified. He had a duty to himself, and to others, to catch and learn about as many of these as he could. And, he was looking forward to it. He loved being a trainer, he was positive that one day, he would be the master he had always dreamed of.

But he knew that such a thing was far off. He had too much to learn, and too far to go, to think of master status yet. Maybe that's one reason why Satoshi seemed to have fallen so hard behind . . . he was aiming his goals too high for him to meet.

__

Stop it, Shigeru, he scolded himself, _Satoshi is back home, and what happens with him now is for him to think about. You have to think about your own goals, not those of the person who has sworn to show you he's better then you are._ It made sense, and put his mind on ease for a while. The arrogant smirk he was so used to wearing took a lot less effort.

"Sayonara, Masara Town," he said to himself, as the small crunching of pine needles under his uniquely styled boots echoed his words in a final goodbye to the place where he was born.

~~

By the time night had fallen, Shigeru was a registered trainer in the Johto Pokémon League. But his work for the day was far from over. He had stayed, despite the setting sun, only long enough to seek out Nurse Joi and have his name entered into the systems. He wasn't tired, so there was no point in resting.

He was already on his way to Yoshino City, the quickest route to Kikyou City and the Gym that was housed there.

What caught his attention, was that he was not the only person out. Far from it, in fact. There were several people walking along the large path, and some of them were even engaged in battles. Judging from the intensity of some of them, these trainers were fairly good. _Good, maybe, but no where near my standard, _he thought to himself. Even in his head, his overactive ego seemed to plague him.

He obviously wasn't as popular here as he was back home. A boy, only about twelve years old, walked up to him and asked for a battle. Far be it from Shigeru to refuse. But, there was no need to be rude to this child. "Sure. How does one on one sound to you?"

"Alright! Let's battle!" The path was empty for now, so there was no need to move, except back from each other to allow room for the match.

Shigeru had already decided to take it easy, for he could tell by his eagerness the other trainer must still be rather new. He would use the only non-evolved Pokémon he was carrying with him at the time. "Ivui, I choose you!" he called out, as he plucked the red and white sphere from his belt and launched it into the space that had been cleared between the two.

With a flash of crimson light, the small, fox-like Pokémon materialized from the energy field in which the PokéBall contained it. It was already in a battle stance, but Shigeru could see the fact that it was extremely happy. The joy-filled "Vui" that escaped the small monster's mouth confirmed it.

The nameless boy didn't seem deterred in the least. He probably thought that since his opponent was a cute, fluffy Ivui that he had nothing to worry about. This boy, like Satoshi, had much to learn. "Magumarashi, go!"

_A nice choice, under any other circumstances, _Shigeru thought, just as the lithe form of the good-sized, fiery porcupine. And it did, for all the world, seem like a porcupine with fire instead of sharp quills.

Shigeru saw no point in wasting any time. "Ivui, Tackle it!" Normally, Magumarashi are among the fastest Pokémon, but Ivui was simply too experienced in comparison. It had smashed into the fire-type before it could move.

The other trainer was shocked, but he had obviously been through more than just a few battles. "Magumarashi, Ember!" The fire along the creature's back flared high, sending a spray of blazing tufts of flame flying in all directions. But, again, it was useless. Ivui jumped this way and that, avoiding the hot spots with seemingly little effort.

"Ivui, give it your Quick Attack!" The brown and white Pokémon kicked the ground hard with its hind feet, sending it flying through the air, a trail of white light extending behind it. Shigeru could tell before it even hit that this match was over. When Ivui's head connected with the Magumarashi's flank, the force was enough to send the weaker Pokémon flying backwards. Luckily, its trainer was able to catch it.

"Th-that was amazing! You're an awesome trainer!" the kid marveled. Despite the fact he knew the kid didn't have a chance, he was still proud he had won. Every battle made his Pokémon that much stronger.

"You did good, kid. Now get your Pokémon to a center." The other kid, still with the same look he would give his favorite movie star, nodded and stumbled away in the direction of the city. Shigeru couldn't help but smile a bit. "Come here, Ivui," he said quietly and he knelt down. Once the small creature was within reach, he extended his hand and patted it lovingly on the head. "You did a great job, buddy."

"Vui!" was what he got in return, along with the most joyful expression he had ever seen. It made him feel good inside, to know that Ivui cared so much for him, and that he was happy. But then, the strangest thing in the world began to happen. Under the touch of his fingers, Ivui's fur had begun to glow in the almost blinding bright light that always accompanied evolution.

_That's not possible! There's not an evolution stone anywhere near here!_ Although, even without the aid of an Evolution Stone, Ivui was certainly evolving. Behind the glow, Shigeru could see Ivui's body elongating, growing sleeker. The already long ears grew a tad longer, but slimmed up and rounded out. The fluffy tail seemed to take the same shape as the ears, although a bit longer. Once the light subsided, Gary noted that Ivui's fur had grown so black, that it disappeared into the night. The only way to tell he was there at all was because of the golden rings that seemed to be glowing with an inner light source. That, and the bright, crimson eyes, which were centered by blue irises with black pupils.

Shigeru was speechless. He had never seen anything like this. But it was obviously an evolved form of Ivui. Since he had gotten a new Pokédex from his grandfather before leaving, he decided to test it out.

"Burakki, the Moonlight Pokémon. Ivui will only evolve into Burakki under the influence of the rays of the moon and extreme happiness."

Whoa. Ivui was so happy, that it evolved naturally, without the aid of a stone. And that Shigeru so happy, that a tear rolled down his cheek. And then with a laugh bordering on hysterical, he plucked up the heavier, though not-too-heavy Burakki and hugged it.

"I can't believe you evolved! Oh, my God, I didn't think something like this could happen!" Burakki was as happy as Shigeru was about it. A collection of licks was given, which just caused the boy to laugh more. He knew the little celebration wouldn't last too long. The fact that Ivui had evolved only meant that it would be trained in a different way. In a way suited to a Pokémon of the Evil element, which he could already tell Burakki was.

But, for now, he needed to be happy.

~~

Try as he might, Satoshi could not find sleep on this night. Maybe he had to do with the fact that he was home again, back in the soft, familiar bed. It certainly wasn't something he was used to. No, he had grown used to sleeping in a sleeping bag, out in the middle of a field. Or else in the cot-like bunk beds offered by Pokémon Centers.

But something in the back of his mind, an annoying little pinging thought, told him that it had to do with a lot more than just the softness of his bed. After all of his bragging, all of his big talk, and, on top of it, all of his hard work, Shigeru had still managed to beat him in their first Pokémon battle. Worst yet, he beat Pikachu, which was Satoshi's strongest Pokémon outside of the hot-tempered Lizardon.

At least Shigeru hadn't made fun of him, this time. In fact, he had even told Satoshi how good a job he had done. And his tone of voice had made him able to believe the words. Shigeru really _did_ think he was doing a good job. Of that, Satoshi was certain.

That helped a bit. But nowhere near enough to allow him to go to sleep.

Maybe it had been something he had eaten . . . and on that night, he had eaten plenty. His mother had insisted on throwing a farewell party when she found out Satoshi had planned to make his way to the western territories of Johto. Takeshi had prepared the meal, and it was a large one. More foods than he had seen in one place for a very long time.

But no, that ping in the back of his mind would not allow him to settle on that as an option. Takeshi was too good of a chef to let something like that happen. So what could possibly be keeping him up? The last time this had happened was the night before the Pokémon League competition. And nothing like that was happening.

Maybe it had something to do with the reason _why_ he was going to Johto. Takeshi, Kasumi, Professor Ookido, and his mother only had been given a half-truth. It was true he was going to become a better trainer and to collect new Pokémon. But he had one other reason. The only real reason he had decided to go there, instead of just staying in Kanto to train.

Shigeru had gone to train in Johto. Professor Ookido had told him this. Satoshi was positive that if Shigeru was going to participate in the Johto League, he would be able to as well. So he was going to follow suit.

He couldn't really say it aloud, but he really wished Kasumi and Takeshi would stay behind. He was old enough to take care of himself, and they felt more like parents than friends at times. But if he told them how he felt about it, all he would do is hurt their feelings, and they would bombard him with reasons why they should come. And he knew he would give in. He was too soft hearted for his own good at times.

They were good friends most of the time. And he wasn't a total idiot—he knew that Kasumi wanted to be a lot more than friends with him. He had suspected it from the start, and Takeshi had confirmed it for him the week he had earned his Green Badge. The memory of the day he had earned the Green Badge brought a small smile to his lips.

That day was the first in a long time that he and Shigeru's old friendship had shone through. Shigeru had even saved his life, when Rocketto Dan's Nyase had been about to blow up the podium he had been standing on during the battle. Shigeru had tackled Nyase, causing him to drop the controller. That left a good feeling inside. But it was nothing when placed next to how he felt when Shigeru had woken up in his arms and looked up at him. There was something in his eyes then that had left a burning sensation inside of Satoshi ever since.

He _had_ to find Shigeru again. He didn't know why, but it had to be done. It would be easier without Takeshi and Kasumi. Especially without Kasumi. If that crazy girl ever got the feeling that he may not belong to her, there was no telling what she would do. And he had more than one memory of being hit with a mallet to remind him just how much of a wallop that the girl packed.

He'd certainly have to find a way to get rid of them before she could come to such a conclusion. It was for her good, as much as for his own. He liked Kasumi, but he had no desire to be anything more than a friend to her. Besides, he wanted to prove that he could handle things for himself. Kasumi and Takeshi had always been there, helping him out and giving him advice, but, frankly, he was sick of it. He wanted to do his own work. And, soon, he would find a way to do it.

That bit of information finally put his mind to rest. With a last look down at Pikachu, who was sleeping soundly at the foot of his bed, he closed his eyes, and was allowed to cross the border into sleep.

~~

Well, that's it for part one. It's mainly just a mood-setting segment. And, for those that might not believe, Shigeru's Ivui DOES evolve into a Burakki (As seen in episode 173). I believe I will write the next chapter before this is posted, so you should already have access to it as soon as this is done. Please review, so I can know what you think!

Note: I know the section barely mentions any shounen ai, but the warning is for the entire story. I do not want a person to begin liking this story, only to be shocked by the obvious male x male implications later on. So, for those that may have felt safe so far, be warned: starting with the next chapter, shounen ai will be a major factor in the plot.


	2. Chapter II

A Brand New Chapter

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Chapter II

By: _Shigeru_

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Insert legal disclaimer and shounen ai warning here.

~~

It had been seven months since Shigeru had made his way to Johto. He didn't think it was possible to change so much in such a short amount of time.

Sure enough, he looked almost exactly the same. He was fourteen, going on fifteen years old. His hair was the same mess of brown spikes. And he still wore his blue-purple shirt, dark jeans, and custom-made boots. But his mind had changed in such ways that he sometimes wondered if he was still the same person that he was when he left Masara Town.

Although, he had made sure no other person had noticed the drastic change. Over the months, he had captured a variety of new species of Pokémon. And, he had earned six of the minimum requirement of eight badges for entrance to the Johto League. Inside of his badge case were the Wing, Insect, Regular, Phantom, Shock, and Steel badges. He had also done more training in that short period of time than he had known was possible.

He was sure of one thing, though. Despite the company of his Pokémon—they all were excellent friends—he was lonely. He missed what was left of his family. Professor Ookido and Nanami were all that was left, but they were enough. They were all he had ever had when he was growing up.

_No,_ he thought to himself in response. _They were not all I had. Back then . . . I had also had Satoshi . . . But I ruined that in the worst of ways._

He forced his mind away from that topic. And placed it on where he was going next. At the moment, he was east of Enju City. He had learned that the closest gym was the one in Choju Town, which housed trainers that specialized in Ice-types. He was more than prepared to turn up the heat for them.

And that's when the voice came, seemingly out of no where. "Hey! You're obviously a trainer to be out here. So what do you say to a match?"

Gary twisted his head in the direction of the sound. He wasn't sure what to make of the guy at first. A plain black tee shirt with matching wristbands, light green jeans, and an orange bandana tied around dark hair. He seemed fairly ordinary. But a battle was the perfect thing to take his mind off of Satoshi and the rest of his problems . . .

"Alright. You're on, pal," he said, giving a smug grin.

~~

"Satoshi, did you get us lost, again?" Kasumi whined, being her usual, annoying self. She had very little faith in Satoshi's direction finding abilities.

But in all truth, Satoshi knew exactly where he was. He was supposed be heading straight for Enju City to battle for his Phantom Badge, but he had become "lost" for a few days in order to search more of Mount Mortar for Shigeru. He knew the other trainer had almost a half-day's head start on him, but he couldn't have pulled too far ahead, since he had started walking instead of being driven around.

But . . . his search of the mountain had turned up nothing. He had no excuse to keep them trudging along cliffs when the city was so near. "Enju City is only a little over a mile from here," he said, a bit more sorely than he had intended. Takeshi gave him a sideways glance, but he tried his best to ignore it. He also noticed Pikachu's ears twitching in a way to let him know he wasn't happy with Satoshi's behavior. Now wasn't the time to mess with him. He gave the direction he was walking in a slight adjustment. One that, in less than an uneventful minute, he was able to see the path that ran along, back on ground level, instead of on the mountain.

He also could see something else. Two trainers, squaring off for a battle—or else the battle had already started and Pokémon had just been changed. One was dressed in a black shirt and green pants, with an orange bandana tied around his head. A Fudin was standing next to him.

The other trainer had his back to him. But Satoshi would have been able to recognize him no matter what angle it was from. The purple hued shirt. The dark blue pants. The boots he had never seen any other person wear. And that spiky brown hair he had known for his entire life. It was Shigeru, there was no doubt about that. But, despite he had finally found what he had been looking for—his eyes were drawn to the mysterious black-furred Pokémon at Shigeru's side.

He signaled for his friend to stop, and they all turned to see the battle that was about to take place.

"A new Pokémon," he said, a bit surprised, as he whipped his Pokédex out of the left pocket of his vest, flipping it open and aiming the sensor at Shigeru's Pokémon.

It took less than a second before a beep was heard. "Burakki, the Moonlight Pokémon. Ivui evolves into this Pokémon when exposed to the rays from the moon. Burakki is of the Evil element."

Satoshi snapped the Pokédex closed, but didn't put it away quite yet. He wasn't sure if any other new Pokémon would appear in this match. "Wow, Shigeru's Ivui must have evolved into that Burakki," he said, a bit quieter than usual. The Burakki was a wonder to see.

Takeshi gave a soft nod and an acknowledging grunt. "He must have trained it even better than I first thought." Back at the battle between Satoshi and Shigeru, Takeshi had judged Ivui to be exceedingly strong, but he had not expected it to evolve naturally this fast. There must be other factors that came into play during its evolution.

Fighting off every urge in his body to run down to the field, Satoshi forced himself to stay on the small ledge they were standing on. He'd only be getting in the way if he charged down there right now, and he wanted to see just how good Shigeru had gotten since their battle.

Satoshi would be far from disappointed.

~~

Shigeru was in a much better mood, now. The battle was two on two, and he doubted he would have to change his Pokémon. The kid's Gyaradosu had already been taken out of the battle. With his left fist on his hip, he turned his head to look down at his prized Burakki.

"Burakki, you've already taken out one Pokémon. Are you ready to go in for another KO?" The smile that filled Shigeru's face told that he already knew the response he would get.

Burakki, who had been sitting calmly on its haunches while the other trainer switched Pokémon, got up to all four paws, its tail sticking slightly into the air behind it. An enthusiastic "Burak!" told Shigeru what he already knew. Burakki was more than willing to battle.

"So, ready for this one to end up like your Gyaradosu?" he asked with a smirk.

At this point, the other trainer was seething mad. He was holding up a clenched fist, shaking it with barely controlled rage. Shigeru knew how to press people's buttons. "Oh, you're going to pay for that!" he cried, his eyebrows tensing. "Fudin, Zap Cannon!"

The Fudin, who was standing just in front and to the side of its trainer, reared back slightly, pulling its arms to either side and letting out a "Fu-". As it planted its feet, swinging the arms back around in front, it released the rest of its name in a "-din!" The spoons it carried in either hand had begun to crackle with electricity. This was an attack that took a few seconds to charge. But both Burakki and Shigeru waited patiently. Soon enough, a spark jumped between the two spoons, and with a barely audible sizzle, an orb of lightning formed.

At this point, Burakki firmly planted all four feet to the ground, letting out another "Burak!" to show it was ready. The small creature's voice was slightly high pitched, unlike the deep voice of the Fudin. But Burakki's voice was more cute than annoying (Unlike Shigeru's American voice . . .).

The globe of energy housed between the two spoons of the Psychic-element Pokémon seemed to shrink back within itself. And then, with the sound of a laser cannon unleashing it's fury, the Zap Cannon finally fired off. The speed at which it flew through the air was incredible! The force altered the perfect spherical shape, causing it become an oblong oval. The heat of the electricity raised the air around it to such high temperatures, that what could almost be mistaken for a while shield formed in front of the advancing attack, and the huge tail that shot out behind it gave a remarkable resemblance to a comet.

Shigeru was ready, now. His face transformed from the arrogant look of a person who had no doubt in the world he would win, into the battle-ready face of a military commander in the heart of war. His own feet were planted, much like Burakki's, as he swung his right arm around before pointing to the orb of light that was despite the seemingly small size, extremely powerful. His left hand clenched into a tight fist. "Jump out the way, Burakki!"

As it seemed, Burakki's firm hold on the ground was not meant to be a brace for the attack. Instead, the coiled leg muscles fired, sending the Moonlight Pokémon flying into the air with a curt "Burak!" The charge from the Zap Cannon flew by, barely inches from Shigeru's leg. The force caused his clothing to flap as if in a strong windstorm, and dirt was raised like a cage around the path it had taken. And once it hit the earth, it was if a small explosion had occurred, rocks and sand from the natural road flying in all directions. However, most of the pieces were carried along the orb's original trajectory.

"Oh, no!" Satoshi cried from his perch on the mountain ledge, more concerned for Shigeru's well being than that of Burakki's. If wasn't until after the dust cleared as he was able to see that Shigeru was perfectly fine did his racing heart go back to normal.

Pikachu was as shocked as Satoshi, letting out a startled "Pika!" at the sheer force of the electric attack. Not even Pikachu's super-charged conductors would have been able to create something that powerful. It was obvious to everyone watching—Satoshi, Takeshi, Kasumi, and Pikachu, that they would have been out of their league in this match. Any one of them would be creamed by either of the two Pokémon battling.

"Fudin," the unknown trainer called out, pointed up at the Burakki who was still suspended in the air, "Psywave attack." He was slightly peeved that the Zap Cannon had missed, but he knew it was inaccurate. His temper wouldn't flare yet.

Fudin's arms once again went wide, then came in close, the spoons almost touching as it let out its battle cry of "Fu-din!" Dust began circling skyward at the Psi Pokémon's feet as it built up energy for the attack. It took only seconds before the ground cracked with a sound like shattering glass, kicking up huge chunks of rock. The rock would not have the time to make it higher than the Fudin's waistline, for it was then that it swung both arms up and out, coming to a pause when his arms formed a Y with its body. The motion caused the gathered energy to rush forward in wave after devastating wave.

Less than a second after its feet finally touched the ground, the first, most powerful wave of psychic energy washed over Burakki. But the biggest reaction that came from it was only the wavering of long ears caused by the wind generated by the attack. A boulder to Burakki's left, which was barely brushed by some of the larger, less intensive waves, was not as lucky. It shattered where it sat, the pieces tumbling in mid air, the intensive winds eroding them on the spot, before enough time had passed and the now almost miniscule pebbled were swept into the wing, along with the debris from the road itself and other rocks.

A look of shock crossed the face of Fudin's trainer. What Burakki had just done was impossible! "What the hell?!" he called out, stunned.

A smirk crossed Shigeru's lips as Burakki trotted up to a position about two feet in front and to his left. "Burakki is of the Evil-element, and is completely immune to Psychic attacks," he said, knowing this guy must not be familiar with the two newer elements of Pokémon. He was going to have to get used to the Evil element fast if he wanted any hope of victory.

"Erg," the trainer grunted, obviously exasperated by the fact that nothing he had tried thus far had worked. Both of his fists were tightly clenched, and Shigeru could tell right there that the other trainer had no chance. But the trainer obviously thought differently. "Fudin!" he called out, pointed out across the field at Burakki. "Let's go!"

Fudin lifted both of its feet, the psychic abilities of his element able to suspend it easily. That motion alone caused dust to swirl up. But it was nothing as to the rocks that pulled themselves from the ground and were launched behind the Psychic-type along with huge amounts of sand and dust, as it charged forwards, hovering an inch or two above the ground, shouting out its name—for it was the only word it could speak—as a battle cry.

Shigeru was now fairly sure about this Fudin's abilities and strength. The testing period was over. Now it was time to show just what Burakki could do. "Get in there, Burakki!"

The black and gold-furred Pokémon ran forward, having to rely on the abilities of its body more movement, rather than the abilities of its mind. A moment before impact, it jumped up, arching its body to sail easily over the Fudin's head. "Headbutt attack."

Burakki had already begun to turn by the time it landed, and expended only two steps to complete it, before kicking off with its extremely powerful hind legs. "Burakki!" it called out as it tucked its front paws to its chest, slamming into the Fudin's midsection headfirst. The force of the blow sent the psychic type flying backwards with a grunt.

"Fudin!" its trainer called out, alarm registering on his face. With a sound like dog nails on ceramic tiles, Fudin's feet stuck and dug into the ground, slowing it down until it finally managed to reach down and stop itself all together with its hands. A wave of relief washed over its trainer, and he managed to smile. "Yes. Fudin! Show them your Thunderpunch!" he called out, seeming a lot more confident than he had when Fudin was sailing through the air.

A green hued blaze erupted around both of the Fudin's fists, as it charged forward, right arm already out for the first blow. "Don't let him touch you!" Shigeru called out, knowing Burakki was too quick to be hit if it was ordered to concentrate on avoiding the blows. And he was right.

Five consecutive punches were thrown from alternating fists, and each time, Burakki was able to easily dodge to the side the punch was coming from, allowing it to slide past. After the fifth from launched, Burakki leapt into the air, trying to get behind the psychic. But it was better trained than to simply allow it to happen. A sixth Thunderpunch was aimed upwards, but just before it would have made contact, Burakki curled into a roll, sliding past the blazing fist at the last moment.

"That Burakki is incredible," Takeshi marveled from where he stood on the mountain ledge, "I don't think anything can touch it."

"It's certainly strong, isn't it?" Kasumi asked, amazed herself at the sight. The only thing she had seen that came close to this kind of action had been when Satoshi's Lizardon had taken on Katsura's Buubaa, all but destroying the volcano the battle had taken place on.

The only reaction Satoshi gave was a nod and grunt of acknowledgement. He was too wrapped up in the battle to really pay attention to what Kasumi and Takeshi were saying.

Amazingly, it wasn't until just then that Burakki's feet touched the ground. It stood poised, ready for another strike from the Fudin. But it didn't seem as if it could manage one right then, for it was breathing extremely hard from the effort of throwing so many punches.

The smirk on Shigeru's face only grew when he noticed this. "Heh, what's the matter, Kai?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't get a true response. Whatever the retort may be, it would be in the form of an order to Kai's Fudin.

Shigeru was on a role with correct assumptions today. "Fudin, Double Team!" The look of exasperation and desperation was evident on Kai's face. But, Shigeru was intrigued. The number of clones that would come from the Double Team would give him a bit more insight as to just how strong this Fudin was.

And when there was suddenly a circle of sixteen Fudin surrounding Burakki, he was impressed. He had seen anywhere from two to nineteen clones, and fifteen was a very good number. But it wasn't good enough when going against a Pokémon trained by Ookido Shigeru.

"Nice try," he said, the grin on his face growing for a bit, before it was replaced by a serious expression. "Burakki! Just take out the original. Home in on it, and use your Faint Attack!"

Burakki took up a stance with its forepaws spread wide, lowering itself close to the ground and uttering a drawn out "Rrraaa…" in preparation for what was to come. It wasn't a long wait.

With sixteen identical cries of "Fu-DIN!" the small army of bearded warriors rushed from all sides. Burakki gave two soft twitches of its ears, before it fired the coiled muscles, springing it into the air from its low position. It gave just enough height to hover above the heads of the charging Fudin.

It took a few seconds to register the information gathered from when the Fudin had begun their attack, but within a second of the jump, Burakki twisted, slamming it's head into the back of the creature that had gone directly beneath it. It went crashing down into the earth face first, letting out a painful moan. Slowly, but surely, the other fifteen wavered out of existence, proving Burakki had struck the right target.

The second Burakki's feet touched the ground back near Shigeru another order was issued. "Quick Attack!" The small monster's hind legs lifted, and struck the ground with such force, that it sent Burakki rushing forwards through the air, turning it into a literal black and gold rocket. Once the attack was activated, a field of white energy surrounded it, trailing behind all the way back to where it started.

"Teleport into negative space!" A split second before impact, Fudin merely disappeared. Burakki turned this way and that, startled to find that its opponent had not reappeared yet. "Now, fire off a Hyper Beam!" Kai called, obviously feeling he had the match in the bag.

A ripple to the left of the field caught Shigeru's eye, but it wasn't until a small flash appeared from the same spot did he look over. Slowly, his smirk grew into a frown as he realized what that meant. He snapped his head back towards Burakki. "Look out!"

Burakki's head turned just in time to see a beam of white energy appear from seemingly nowhere. It gave it just enough to leap up and out of the way. Now knowing where Fudin was, Shigeru called for the match to end. "Finish it off with your Shadow Ball!"

Burakki had not even touched the ground yet when it focused on the point from which the Hyper Beam had flown. Its eyes began to glow white. But for a few seconds, the red and blue shown through. But, the moment the eyes turned completely white, a small concussion sounded as waves of black energy resonated outwards.

Not only was the force of the attack enough to bring Fudin from between regular space and negative space, but once it had reappeared, it was sent flying backwards. If it had not been for a handy tree being in the way, it would have kept flying. But as it was, once the attack subsided, Fudin crumbled to the ground, obviously in no condition to continue the battle.

"Fudin!" Kai cried out, alarmed for the well being of his Pokémon. He rushed over and began to check for serious injuries.

Meanwhile, Burakki was just managing to land back near its master's feet.

~~

"Well, let's get going, Satoshi. You're the one who said Enju City is so close," Kasumi said, shaking Satoshi from the shock of how powerful a trainer Shigeru had become.

"G-going? What do you mean?" Satoshi knew he had knack for missing the completely obvious. He just didn't know how to keep from doing it.

"Both of those two are obviously better trainers than we are. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like getting caught up in a battle with either of them," she offered, sounding almost scared of the proposition of battling Shigeru or the boy who seemed to be named Kai.

Then Takeshi broke in. "I think she's right, Satoshi. You're a good trainer, but none of us are anywhere near Shigeru's level. It'd be best if we just kept going to Enju."

_Why are they so desperate to get me away from Shigeru? _ Satoshi asked himself, looking at them strangely. _Can't they see I obviously don't want to leave yet?! No, I guess they can't. They have no idea why I came to Johto . . ._

He decided now was as good as a time as any to get away from them. "Look, if you two are _scared_ of Shigeru, you can go on ahead. But I'm not ready to battle the Gym Leader in Enju City, yet." Satoshi had hoped that would work. It was HIS journey they were all on, after all, and he was the leader. He could order them to stay away, but that wouldn't feel right. He'd have to trick them.

Kasumi was resisting the urge to hammer him with her mallet. He could see it clearly. But luckily, her pride got the better of her anger. "Fine! If you wanna get creamed by Shigeru in a battle, that's fine by me! Let's go, Takeshi," she raged, before turning to storm off in the direction of the city.

"But—" Takeshi would never have time to finish his protest. Before the entire word was out, she had snagged him by the ear and was dragging him away, as she had done many times before when she couldn't stand the way he was obsessing over a pretty girl. Satoshi was thankful. His plan had worked.

And as soon as they where out of sight, he would finally be able to talk to Shigeru . . .

~~

Oh, I bet you just can't wait until the next part, right? Well, you're going to have to, because this is where I'm stopping. And I bet you'll be surprised by what's to come. Please give a review! 


	3. Chapter III

A Brand New Chapter

****

Chapter III

By: _Shigeru_

****

Insert legal disclaimer and shounen ai warning here.

~~

"That was amazing, Shigeru . . ."

The spiky-headed trainer from Masara Town froze where he knelt, his hand suddenly having stopped the pet it was giving to the dark-furred Evil element Pokémon in front of him. The Burakki seemed a bit annoyed at first, but when it looked behind Shigeru to see who had spoken, the monster understood immediately. It was a face it knew.

Ookido Shigeru did not have to turn around to know who the fourteen year old boy behind him was. It was a voice he had known for his entire life. "What are _you_ doing here, Satoshi?" he snapped, not having moved a muscle. His hand was still hovering centimeters over Burakki's head.

Satoshi stumbled with his words. Last time they had seen each other, Shigeru had been much softer to him. It seemed as if this was an entirely different person . . . "I-I just came down from Mount Mortar and saw you finish that battle. It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my life. I never knew Pokémon could get that strong."

"Neither did I. Until I saw it happen before my eyes. Considering we started training at the same time, it's amazing that your own Pokémon aren't as strong," Shigeru retorted with a sneer in his voice. Why had Satoshi come here? Why now? He had been doing such a good job of putting his old life behind him. And now the biggest chunk of it was standing behind him.

Satoshi felt a slight sting to his rival's words. But it helped in the fact that they were all true. He really had never taken his training as seriously as Shigeru. Satoshi did it more for fun, while Shigeru had the makings of a real master. Satoshi had a faint thought of cheering from the sidelines as Shigeru was awarded the trophy. Of running up and hugging him, kissing him . . .

Satoshi begged whatever higher powers may exist that his excitement at the thought would not be seen. "Yeah, well. You did prove you were the better trainer, Shigeru. In fact . . . that's one of the reasons why I'm here."

"You want another trouncing?" he asked bitterly, but by the time he turned around, clutching a PokéBall in his hand, he had managed to erect the arrogant grin that had been his shield against the world for so long. "You just said you had never seen a battle at such a high scale as this, and you still wanna have another match to try and prove you're better?"

"No!" Satoshi erupted, surprising himself as much as Shigeru with the force behind that one word. "I came here to get back the best friend I've ever had," he continued, managing to calm down. Shigeru had always managed to know exactly what to say in order to get Satoshi mad. But up until now, it had only served to push him further. Make him work even harder to try and impress the other.

Shigeru let out a rather harsh sounding laugh. There was no trace of joy in the sound. "I've changed far too much to go back to the way things were six years ago, Satoshi. That's one thing I envy about you. After all this time, you've still managed to stay the same person I always knew." The smirk was gone from Shigeru's face. It had been the first time other than at Tokiwa City that Satoshi had seen him without a smile in four years. The almost lost look that danced across Shigeru's face allowed Satoshi to notice just how much he really had changed.

"You're not the only one that's changed, Shigeru. I'm not the same little boy who left Masara Town!" Even as he spoke the words, he knew that, for the most part, they were false. Even Pikachu, who had been with him the entire way, had not noticed a single thing. He was still hardheaded, hyper, and was blind to the completely obvious facts of the universe. But he had learned a lot of things in since leaving home. He had grown up. And he had eventually come to a point where he had finally figured out exactly what he wanted out of life.

"Maybe so," Shigeru replied with a soft, thoughtful nod, "but what's the point in looking to the past, now, Satoshi? It's long gone. And I can't go looking for it, again."

"You don't have to look for it, because I already have. I've been following you around for seven months, now, Shigeru, and I won't stop until I get what I want. You know I can be a royal pain in the ass when I want something."

Oh, God, did Shigeru know that was the truth. It was enough to make him crack a small smile and stifle a laugh. But something about what Satoshi had just said made him think for a moment. Seven months of looking for him. And seven months ago was when he . . . "You mean you came all the way to Johto, just to find me?"

"Well . . . not just to find you. I seriously wanted to train, and enter the League here. But I wouldn't have come if you hadn't," Satoshi said softly, hoping the embarrassment the words caused would not show on his face. He wasn't sure how Shigeru would feel towards just being friends again, let alone anything more than that.

"You wouldn't have _known_ about this place if I hadn't come," Shigeru pointed out, giving a sly smile. "Let me guess. Ojiichan told you all about it after I left, right?"

Satoshi couldn't help but blush at the truth in Shigeru's words. "Yeah . . . It was Professor Ookido who told me about Johto. And who told me you were headed here."

_Damnit!_ Shigeru thought to himself, _why'd he have to go and blush? He's going to get me started, too! He's just too damned cute like that._

He decided it'd be best if he got the subject of conversation away from where it had been going. "Hey, where are your two babysitters? The last time I saw you without them, was the day we started out."

Satoshi could feel his face burning. Shigeru had noticed the way they had been slightly protective of him, as well. And Satoshi didn't know whether Shigeru had seen it, but back at Tokiwa City Gym, Kasumi had shot the newly awakened trainer quite the death glare. "They're over in Enju City," he said, hoping he didn't sound as flustered as he felt. "I managed to talk them into walking ahead."

"So you'll be heading there soon, too, right?" Shigeru wasn't sure why he was pressing this. Was it because he wanted to enjoy every possible moment with Satoshi? Or was it because he wanted the other trainer to be out of life for good? Things had become so confusing. Everything except for his training was only a blur to him, now.

"I . . . don't think I'll be joining them." Satoshi felt good to say that out loud. He was not going to be tied down to Takeshi and Kasumi any longer. He was free to do what he wanted, when he wanted. And all he wanted right now was to stay with Shigeru.

"So what do you plan on doing? You don't really seem like the type of person who would be able to stand being alone for something as long as what you're planning."

Satoshi couldn't help but smile for a moment. It seemed that, for the moment, their roles had been reversed. It was now Shigeru's turn to miss the painfully obvious.

"If it's possible, Shigeru . . . I was hoping to come along with you . . ."

"What?!" Shigeru blurted, nearly fainting at the thought of Satoshi coming along. Being with him every day, and spending practically all of that time with him. A new wave of confusion washed over him. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? There was a part of him that ached for Satoshi to be at his side. But another part of him told him it wasn't going to work. He had put all of this space between himself and his old life for a reason. "You're not serious, are you, Satoshi?" he asked, regaining his composure and even managing a skeptical tone of voice.

"Of course I am!" Satoshi replied, a bit more enthusiastically than he had meant to. When he managed to gain control of himself again, he went on. "I mean, I know there's a lot you can teach me about training. Maybe even a few things I can teach you. And you know you can only play Lone Wolf for so long . . ."

It was hard for Shigeru to argue with the other boy's reasoning. There was indeed a lot Satoshi could learn from him. And, despite the fact that Shigeru was a better trainer, Satoshi had gone along a different path, and undoubtedly had experiences to share that would help him. This information was not going to keep Shigeru from trying to, at least. If it was one thing anyone knew, it was that Ookido Shigeru never gave up.

"So you're saying that after everything that's happened, you could even stand to be around me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in an _as if_ manner. "I don't think you know what you're talking about, Satoshi. We've gone too far, and have done too much to each other for this to work."

Satoshi's usually gentle nature was starting to crack. _Why can't he understand?!_ he demanded to no one in particular. "Shigeru, please! I don't care about that anymore! What's in the past is in the past. And you know not all of it was unpleasant. There are plenty of good times between us back there!"

Shigeru couldn't believe what he was seeing. Satoshi's words had finally caused him to really look him in the face. And at the moment, there were fresh tears in those dark brown eyes. _God, Satoshi, do you not know what those tears do me inside? Do you not know how hard it was for me to push you away? For me to keep doing so, even when you want to be with me?_ Shigeru wasn't sure, but he felt that at the moment, his own blue eyes were a mirror of his rival's.

Finally, a defeated sigh escaped Shigeru's lips. He had, at last, been defeated for a third time. Once back at Tokiwa City Gym, and again at the regional championships. And now, Satoshi had finally managed to beat him, even if it wasn't at a Pokémon battle. "Alright, Satoshi . . ." he said, casting his gaze downwards, "if it is truly what you want, you can come with me. But, if you slow me down, you're going to be left behind."

A small, almost imaginary smile danced at the corners of Satoshi's lips. "That won't be a problem." And he was fairly certain that it wouldn't be. Satoshi may not be the smartest person on earth, but he knew how to do what he had to do. And all he really had to do now was hang onto the prize he had just obtained.

~~

"Where is he?" Kasumi raged as she paced back and forth across the lobby of the Enju City Pokémon Center. Togepi was doing a similar number, although it was happy throughout the whole ordeal. It seemed to be playing follow the leader, using its "mother" as the leader.

"Calm down, Kasumi," Takeshi sighed, obviously exasperated. The girl had been raging and ranting ever since they were out of earshot of Satoshi and Shigeru. "I'm sure he's fine. He'd old enough to take care of himself after all. Besides, it's barely been two hours. He promised he'd be here when he was done training."

But something about his own words got to him. He didn't remember Satoshi making a promise. And ever since they had come to Johto, he had noticed Satoshi acting strangely. The fourteen-year-old had seemed much more serious than he had previously. Takeshi had assumed Satoshi was going to be more vigilant when it came to training, but he never seemed to enjoy winning a battle as much as he used to. And he had seemed so intent on staying behind with Shigeru.

"Don't you know how much can happen in two hours?! He could be hurt! Or Rocketto Dan may have found him!" she screamed, turning to glare at the eighteen-year-old breeder. She was as angry as she had ever been. And a Kasumi scorned was a very bad thing. Takeshi knew she had that mallet hidden somewhere.

"Look," he said, trying to maintain the calm he was famous for, "Satoshi will be fine. He's more than capable of handling Rocketto Dan, and if anything ever happened, you know Pikachu is there to make sure he's okay." He was concentrating on trying to keep Kasumi's rage under control. She had a temper at least as bad as Satoshi's Lizardon.

That seemed to cut through to her. She and Pikachu had always had an agreement on making sure Satoshi was well, and neither of them had ever broken it so far. Pikachu was sure to keep its trainer in good shape. "Yeah . . ." Kasumi said softly, plopping down into a chair, "you're right. Pikachu will take care of Satoshi until he gets here . . ."

_Kasumi, _Takeshi thought to himself, _you're right about Pikachu taking care of him. But Satoshi won't be coming back to us._

~~

The cave was dark. Like a cloudy, moonless night, away from the lights of a city, which made seeing nearly impossible. The two boys wouldn't have seen a rock or wall until they hit it, if it weren't for the combined efforts of Satoshi's Pikachu's electricity-filled cheeks, and Shigeru's Lizardon's flaming tail.

"So where does this place go?" Satoshi asked, straining to see beyond the few feet of illumination that was being let off from the two Pokémon. It took quite a while before he realized that doing so was impossible. The cave they were wondering through had started not far from where Shigeru had been battling. It ran under Mount Mortar for what seemed like forever.

"Well, this tunnel runs for several miles. I doubt we'll get there until tomorrow, but it opens up again west of Choju Town, which is our next stop. There's a gym there, but we'll have plenty of time to look around first," Shigeru replied, trying his best to concentrate on the poorly marked path. There was only one way out near the city, and he had to make sure they got there. Any more than one night is a place like this was dangerous. Hell, even one night was dangerous enough. Shigeru did not want to have to keep Satoshi here any longer than necessary.

"Hmm . . . what kind of Pokémon does the gym specialize in?" Satoshi wondered aloud, not really meaning to speak, but doing so anyway. It surprised him when he received an answer.

"The gym uses Ice-types for the most part. You should have an advantage, since most Ice-types have Water characteristics as well. Pikachu will most likely wipe the floor with them," Shigeru said softly, not seeing it but getting a look of praise from the small electric rodent. He had just earned a new friend.

"That's good to hear." It was odd. Despite everything Satoshi had wanted to say to Shigeru for these past months, he couldn't really bring himself to do it. He felt like he was pushing his luck as it was, what with Shigeru agreeing to let him come along. But he knew he was just scared. Scared of what might happen if Shigeru rejected him. Scared of what might happen if Shigeru felt the same.

The next few minutes were spent in silence. It felt strange to both of them—friends their entire lives, losing each other for almost five years, and when they had finally reclaimed their bond, they seemed to have nothing to talk about. After nearly a mile of walking with no conversation to pass the time, Satoshi finally asked one of the questions that had been haunting him.

"Shigeru . . . what happened back home? What happened to make us seem so different after so much time together?" Shigeru stopped dead in his tracks at the question. The sudden jerk and the lack of sound was enough to make both Lizardon and Pikachu turn around to see what was the matter. "Shigeru..?" Satoshi asked again, a bit more tentatively. 

_Satoshi, if there is any question on earth I do not want to answer, it is that one. But after all I've put you through over the years, the very least you deserve is an explanation,_ Shigeru thought with a light sigh.

~~

It was early afternoon in Masara Town. The sun was high in the sky, and there were very few clouds, scattered here and there. In the distance, the windmill on Professor Ookido's huge ranch was spinning slowly. It was a wonderful day, just made for playing outside.

And in the front yard of the house Satoshi called home, he and his best friend were taking perfect advantage of it. A ball designed to resemble a Geodude was sailing and rolling back and forth across the lawn. On one side, Satoshi, his black hair not yet quite as shaggy as it would seem in his adolescent years. And on the other, Shigeru, his long hair trailing almost to his shoulders, the spikes having not been discovered at this point.

The ball went flying high into the air from one of Shigeru's uncontrolled kicks. He sometimes didn't know how to manage his own strength. Both of the boys went running forwards to try and catch it. Needless to say, they were paying more attention to the falling ball than to each other.

The ball hit the ground between them. It caused Shigeru to stumble over it, right into Satoshi. Both boys had had their arms outstretched to catch the ball, so when they hit the ground, it was in a tangle of limbs, with the slightly younger Satoshi on the bottom of the heap. Neither of them was hurt, at least nothing more than a small bump.

It could be easily told by the way they were both deathly silent, staring at each other. A wave of . . . something washed over Shigeru at that moment. An urge to close what little distance was between their faces and press his lips to Satoshi's. It scared him.

He scrambled to his feet, freeing himself from Satoshi's grasp, which seemed reluctant to let him leave. And as soon as he was able, he ran to the house next door and burst through the front door, making his way up the stairs without slowing down once. It wasn't until he was behind a locked door, in the solace of his room, did Shigeru allow the first of many tears that would be shed to flow.

~~

"That's when it started. I was so scared of what was happening. So I ran."

"Shigeru . . ." Satoshi reached out and took hold of the older boy's hand. He felt his hand being squeezed back ever so softly.

"I know no excuse is worth everything I've put you through, Satoshi. And I'm sorry. I ruined our friendship." Lizardon and Pikachu were strangely quiet. They seemed to have realized it was best to leave this situation to the two humans involved.

"Shigeru, it's alright, now. Everything is fine . . ." Satoshi was pleading with him. Trying to get the obviously deeply hurting Shigeru to understand that everything was, indeed, okay. Only one solution came directly to mind.

Using the hand he had used to grab Shigeru's, Satoshi pulled the other boy closer to him. Before either of them really knew what was happening, their arms had been wrapped around one another, bodies relaxing into the embrace, as their lips slowly joined.

~~

Well, that's all for now. Sorry it took so long to complete this chapter, but don't expect much on or around weekends, okay? I get very busy then, and have little time to write. I'll have Chapter IV up as soon as I can, so please stay tuned. And PLEASE give a review. I like to know what people think of my writing. Good or bad, I don't really mind, as long as I get to know what people think.


	4. Chapter IV

A Brand New Chapter

****

Chapter IV

By: _Shigeru_

****

Insert Legal Disclaimer and Shounen Ai warning here.

Sorry for taking so long to get this part up, everyone. I've just been really busy with the holidays, and it's caused major writers' block. But, after listening to a little bit of inspirational music, that's all gone, now. So, I should be cranking out parts of this story as fast or faster than before.

~~

"Oh, God," Kasumi sobbed into hands, which were covering her face. It was now midnight. And in the hours since Satoshi had talked them into going ahead, Takeshi had watched Kasumi go from angry, to upset, and now, to downright depressed. The only time he remembered seeing Kasumi cry was when they had thought Satoshi and Pikachu to be dead, having found their bodies crushed under a chandelier inside of the Pokémon Tower.

"Kasumi . . . You had better think of finding transportation back to Hanada City," Takeshi said as soothingly as he could manage. The girl had been grinding even his carefully guarded last nerve.

It took several seconds before Kasumi's mind registered what Takeshi had said. It caused he to look up at him, a look of disbelief on her tearstained young face. "W-why on earth would I want to go back home..?" she stammered, obviously having no clue on what Takeshi had long since figured out.

"Because staying here any longer is useless. Satoshi won't be coming back. I've already arranged it with my father to take back control of the Nivi City Gym when I get there. Maybe you can talk your sisters into letting you run the actual gym, and let them handle the performances." Takeshi seemed so calm and calculated that Kasumi thought she would explode.

"What do you mean Satoshi won't be coming back?!" she roared, nearly putting every Gardie on the planet to shame in the process. She certainly had a way of making herself be heard. Although, perhaps, at the cost of a few eardrums.

"If here were coming, he'd be back long before now. Let's face it—for once, Satoshi outsmarted us." It was then that Kasumi couldn't take it anymore. She rushed into the back of the center, in the direction of the guestrooms that the center offered to passing trainers. On his way to his own room, Takeshi knew that if he woke before Kasumi, it was not likely that they would see each other again.

~~

Both Satoshi and Shigeru carried sleeping bags along with them. But when the small alarm clock Shigeru had brought along went off, sending a screech impossible to ignore echoing through the cave, only one was in use. Although it had two forms stuffed inside of it.

After the night's incident, the two boys had tried to get some sleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. But both of them had found it impossible. They would have been better off winding through the pitch-black cave, than wasting time tossing and turning inside of their bags. Halfway through the night, Satoshi had had enough of it, and had crawled out of his sleeping bag, and without saying one word, crawled into Shigeru's.

He met no resistance. In fact, as soon as he was in place, a set of deceptively strong arms had wrapped around him. He had assumed Shigeru to already be asleep, but he was glad that this had managed to happen first. In no time, the two had dosed off together.

But now, several hours later, the alarm that meant morning was either on its way or had already come was sounding with a vengeance. It even beat out the sound of Takeshi snoring, which Satoshi had grown accustomed to. So it was then that the two boys crawled out, stretching their muscles for the rest of the walk that awaited them.

At the sound, Pikachu had also awoken, its sparkly cheeks giving just enough light to see by, enabling them gather their things and make minimal adjustments to their hair in a handheld mirror. Shigeru's needed the most work, for he didn't have an official Pokémon League Expo hat to cover up his hair if it was in sloppy condition. Maybe he should have done like Satoshi and sent in a few hundred post cards . . .

"Ready to go?" he asked as he slipped his mirror away, his hair being set for the day.

"Yeah, just give me a second," Satoshi replied, still stuffing a few leftover pieces of equipment into his backpack.

_God, _Shigeru thought to himself, _seems like he packs his life into that little bag. _It was a few seconds later that he realized it was the truth. Satoshi's life was training, same as Shigeru's. Although, it seemed, as if their definitions of "life" had just broadened slightly.

"Alright, ready!" Satoshi called, slinging his backpack on and giving Shigeru a way-too-perky-for-six-in-the-morning grin. Especially considering how little they both had slept. Rolling his eyes towards the heavens in a "why me?" expression—and already grinning at the answer—Shigeru pulled out one of his PokéBalls, and soon, they had begun walking again, with an also too-perky Pikachu and a slightly groggy Lizardon leading the charge and lighting the way.

"We ought to be clear of the cave within…" a loud yawn escaped Shigeru's lips as he spoke, "another two hours or so." This was good news for both of them. Shigeru wanted to get Satoshi out of the cave, and Satoshi merely wanted to earn another badge—among other things.

"Great! I can't wait until we can see sunlight again. I think I'm starting to forget what it looks like," the younger boy said with a soft chuckle. The sound was enough to make Shigeru's heart jump, and he suddenly wasn't sleepy anymore. Instead of his tired expression, a huge grin was in place. Satoshi certainly had a way of getting a person going.

~~

"Musashi! Kojiro!"

The face glaring at the two Rocketto Dan members was half hidden behind shadows—but there was never any mistaking who it was. Only one person had access to the line that was running the feed to their portable screen. Only one person could put so much force behind a pair of names, so much venom and disgust and superiority.

Sakaki. The founder and head of Rocketto Dan, not to mention the master of Tokiwa City Gym. And, for all intents and purposes, he was quite possibly one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth. Talking to him had never been a pleasure, and neither had working for him. But they did what they had to do.

"Y-yes, Boss?" Musashi stammered, obviously nervous of what this call could mean for them. They had done a lousy job since they had started hounding the Twerp for his Pikachu. Not a single Pokémon had been sent to The Boss in nearly four years. He was on the verge of demoting them back to the drab, black uniforms, which were major fashion no-nos. 

"I want to know why you two haven't sent me any Pokémon."

Just the sound of that calm, deep voice sent chills down the two humans' spines. Nyase, who was being unusually smart, was hiding elsewhere.

"We're working on it, Sir, but stealing Pokémon isn't as easy as it used to be," Kojiro supplied in response, surprising both Sakaki and Musashi. It was rare that the blue-haired gangster gathered the courage to speak to The Boss.

"Well, you have two choices. You can either start taking your jobs more seriously . . . or else the police shall receive a very detailed report of exactly _how_ many crimes you've been involved in." No change of face or tone of voice could be told. He spoke the words so casually, it was hard to believe that they were meant to be as serious as they were, but they knew The Boss was not lying.

"How do you propose we go about taking it more seriously than we already are, Sir?" Again, it was Kojiro to speak. Silently, Musashi was thankful. She despised having to talk to Sakaki. And she knew Kojiro felt the same way, but he was leading them through this.

"Do not think I haven't been keeping up to date. Kojiro, I know you know how to use a gun. In fact, you had one with you inside of the Safari Zone, and did a fine job of displaying it for the world to see. If need be, go back to the Old World ways—they always worked. Use force, use pain, and, when you have to, use death to get what you need to do done. If I am made happy, there's nothing to worry about with the law. I keep those fools in my back pocket."

Kojiro gave a quick, almost military nod. "Yes, Sir. We shall do what is expected of us."

"See that you do." The next thing they saw from the screen, was blackness. The connection had been severed by Sakaki's end.

"Kojiro, are you mad?!" Musashi raged as soon as she gathered herself from the fear of talking to The Boss. "You really plan to use a gun on the twerp?"

"I'm sick of The Boss being pissed at us. I'm sick of being showed up. That little piece of shit is going to pay for what he's done to us—one way, or another."

Musashi had never heard such determination in her partner's voice. It frightened her. Far more than a talk with Sakaki ever could.

~~

A soft purring sound resonated around the room as Sakaki's hand stroked the perfect fur of his prized Perushian. The feline, like its owner, was used to nothing but the best—which was exactly what it received.

A soft grin danced on the man's lips. Dragging his grunts through the mud had always amused him and none more so than Musashi and Kojiro. Especially in modern days, where they never failed to fail. He highly doubted that they would bring him a Pokémon. In fact, the only reason he bothered to keep the two pieces of cannon fodder around was for mild entertainment.

But, perhaps they could do one thing right with their newfound "freedom." He knew the boy whose Pikachu they chased after. He knew that boy all too well. And the boy was a liability.

Oh, at first the thought that this certain boy had been the one to give his formerly best outlaws so much trouble had been enough to make him laugh long and hard. But now, the boy was a nuisance, always in the way of something important. It was time to correct a mistake he had made fourteen years ago.

After all—who else besides his own son could raise an electric rat to be so powerful? But, it was long overdue for the time the boy should be put in the past.

Permanently.

~~

"Hey, I can see light up ahead—and it's not coming from our Pokémon!" Shigeru announced, extremely relieved. He told himself he only wanted Satoshi out of there, but ever since that encounter with the mysterious Pokémon in Tokiwa, he had become a tad less fearless than before.

"Great, I'm starving!"

That, of course, could only come from Satoshi. Shigeru swore that the kid could eat like a Kabigon—and if left alone, could sleep like one as well. He shook his head softly as he continued towards the opening of the cave, a still too energetic Satoshi not far behind. It only took a few moments to reach the exit that they had been striving for since the last day's afternoon.

"Whoa . . ." Satoshi said, the tone of voice saying he was more than a little awed at the view. They were high up—very high up, especially since Shigeru had not noticed much, if any incline as they went through the caverns. Although, the view was, indeed, quite impressive.

Almost a mile of mountain stretched down towards the valley far below. Even the tallest buildings seemed like nothing but small shadows and they disappeared into the beauty of the large lake to the north, and the grassy fields surrounding what had to be Choju Town. A little ways away, there was also another mountain, although it seemed to be much, much colder, still being covered with ice, despite the late summer warmth.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Shigeru asked softly. When Satoshi turned to look at him, the older boy was wearing a huge grin, and for once, the look seemed pleasant instead of menacing. Whenever Satoshi saw that look, it always meant he was going to be cut down, but now it seemed to be devoid of everything he had always seen in it before.

"Yeah, it is. But, come on, Shigeru, we can't wait too long, we have a gym leader to beat."

Shigeru was mildly disappointed. The spot was so beautiful, the perfect place to be alone for a while with Satoshi. To explore just what that kiss last night meant. But, he knew Satoshi was right. There _was_ a gym leader nearby that needed a good trouncing. And who was Shigeru to ever turn down an opportunity to battle?

"Alright, but be careful, Satoshi," and with that, Lizardon was returned to its PokéBall, the huge fire dragon's services no longer needed for now, since they were outside in the sunlight. And then, with Shigeru in the lead, the two boys started to make their way down the mountainside. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't exactly fun, but neither of them felt up to taking the easy way out and flying down on a Pokémon.

Five minutes into the climb, a large shadow passed by overhead. Neither paid much attention to it, for the sky had seemed fairly cloudy when they had been admiring the scene far below. It wasn't until the voices rang out that their attention was drawn upwards.

"Prepare for trouble!" sang a female voice. Satoshi felt sick to his stomach.

"And make it double!" sang an equally unwanted male voice.

"Um, could you just go away, now? We're really too busy to deal with you at the moment," Satoshi said up the floating Nyase balloon that housed the infamous Rocketto Dan members and their mascot.

"How dare you interrupt our motto?!" Musashi cried, outraged at the idea that the little twerp would stop their lovely (*Rolls his eyes*) motto after only the first two verses.

"Because we're too busy trying to get down this mountain," Shigeru said with a roll of his eyes. "As if it wasn't already plainly obvious. Now would you please get out of my sight? You two are a monumental waste of space."

"Oh, but we just came by to help you down," Kojiro said, in a tone of voice Satoshi had never heard before. He seemed . . . serious. As if he actually was working on doing this for once. "Now, if you'll just hold still for a moment, we can get all of this over with." And quite suddenly, Kojiro had a shoulder mounted rocket launcher in his right hand, being brought up to aim.

"Oh, shit—" Satoshi began, but never had the chance to finish. For it was then that the explosive projectile embedded itself into the cliff just below them, and did the job it was made for—causing a very big bang.

Kojiro began a slightly hysterical laugh as the rocks began to tumble down the mountainside, along with the bodies of the two boys. Musashi and Nyase simply watched in fear, for a side they had never seen of the rich-born gangster had just been displayed.

~~

Well, that's all for now. Don't you just love a _cliffhanger?_ Uh-oh. The Pun-Police just showed up at my front door. No Officer. Sorry, sir, it was _Onix-_pected.

See you all next time!


	5. Chapter V

A Brand New Chapter

****

Chapter V

By: _Shigeru_

****

Insert Legal Disclaimer and Shounen-Ai warning here.

~~

The world was a wavering blur to Shigeru. He was falling, tumbling, falling again, feeling almost nothing—except an all consuming fear. Not a fear for his own life, no, he didn't really care about that, but he could not let Satoshi die. The younger boy was worth far too much to him to see him die this soon after their reunion.

"Satoshi!" he screamed, even as he was falling towards his own death. "Grab my hand!" And, by some miracle of Houou, he felt a hand clasp his own. He swore that now grip could ever be stronger. _It's not enough to die together, you have to save him, somehow!_

Opening his eyes would be crazy—between the falling rocks and the hard mountainside, his eyes wouldn't stay in their sockets for long. He'd have to do this blind. And, for some reason, he had a very strong feeling that his Fudin was helping out, because within seconds, using his free hand, he had managed to snag a hold on an outcropping of rock. It was a few more seconds before enough of the debris had passed for him to open his eyes, and they immediately went down to the boy dangling by his arm.

"Are you okay, Satoshi?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm just peachy," Satoshi replied with a light laugh, just now opening his eyes and looking up. Despite what had happened, the look on Satoshi's face couldn't help but make Shigeru grin himself. And neither of them _looked_ okay. They were both bloody and bruised, and Shigeru at least felt as if one or more bones had sustained minor fractures or worse.

"Satoshi, it would really help if you climbed up and grabbed hold of the rock . . . I can't hold on like this, forever." Satoshi could tell by the strained look on his face, and the bulging arm muscles under his ripped sleeves, that Shigeru really was getting very close to his time limit.

The burden Shigeru felt intensified as the other boy climbed up, the motions nearly making him loose his hard-won grip on the rock. But, once Satoshi was hanging from the rock itself, and not him, Shigeru was able to reach up with his other hand and get a better grip.

"Well, it looks as if we have a bit more time to watch the scenery after all, huh?" Satoshi seemed way too cheerful for being in the middle of a life and death situation. Shigeru had to wonder just how often things like this happened to the boy who had he had tried so hard to shove out of his life. And now, after what had happened last night, Shigeru couldn't imagine a world with Satoshi not in it.

"I guess so. Seems like those idiots finally did something right. Just how are we gonna get down?" Shigeru couldn't believe it… Every time that he had faced Rocketto Dan, they had been pushovers. But, it seemed when they started to act like a real gang they could be dangerous. It was something to think about. When they got off the mountain of course.

"Well . . . it's kinda dangerous to reach for a PokéBall, so I guess flying is out. I think we're stuck until somebody comes to get us," Satoshi replied with a sigh. This was not going to be fun. Stuck out here, in the middle of no where, dangling from a rock nearly a mile from the ground. _And worst of all, _Satoshi mumbled to his own mind, _I can't even kiss him in this position!_

"Pika?" mumbled a sleepy voice, and just then, the head of Satoshi's newly awakened electric rodent popped up out the backpack that had managed to stay on his shoulders.

_By the flame of Faiyaa, that rat slept through the whole damned thing!_ Shigeru marveled to himself. Just how the thing had managed to do it was beyond his reasoning. But it had.

"Pikachu!" Satoshi cried with glee, happy all over again that his Pokémon was okay.

"Pika! Pi chu!" The small rodent seemed as happy as its master and leapt out of the backpack and onto the outcropping of rock that the two boys were dangling from (Heh . . . clumsy, stupid rat).

_Crack!_

In the emptiness of the high mountain, the sound of the rock pulling loose was strangely loud. The boys could feel it slide forward just a little bit. Satoshi's gaze shifted quickly from Pikachu over to Shigeru. It was a look the older boy hadn't seen since he first woke up in Tokiwa City Gym. Satoshi was scared. Really scared…

"What are we gonna do, Geru-chan?" Shigeru could never remember Satoshi's voice stuttering as it did right then. And it had been years since the last time Satoshi had called him "Geru-chan." Not since they were little kids.

Shigeru gave him a soft smile. It was warm, meant to calm Satoshi's already racing mind. And it worked. But Satoshi also caught the traces of sadness in those eyes he had grown to love. They were always different . . . blue one moment, brown the next. It was enticing to watch. But now, they seemed completely black. It scared him all over again.

"Sato-chan, don't worry. Everything will be okay. You're far too young and have way too much to live for. Promise me that you'll never give up your dreams. Please?"

Satoshi could hardly believe what Shigeru was saying. He couldn't… Could he? But Satoshi didn't really have any other choice. He knew he had to grant Shigeru's wish. "I promise…"

"Never give up…" And then, Shigeru let go. And began to fall.

~~

Musashi trembled slightly. She had never seen Kojiro act in such a way. And neither had Nyase, who was equally surprised. But their trains of thought were suddenly broken.

"What are you waiting for? Nab that Pikachu while we have the chance!" Kojiro ordered. Most any other time, the two would have sent the blue-haired Rocketto Dan member through the torture rack, but after they had just watched him fire a small missile at a fourteen year old boy, they decided to take no chances with their own personal safety. They obeyed.

Pikachu was still standing on the cracked rock. It didn't know what had happened by the time the huge, metal (rubber-coated, of course) vices closed around it. Within seconds, it was whisked away into the air, following close behind the Nyase-shaped hot-air balloon.

~~

Satoshi was torn. Rocketto Dan was floating away with his best friend. But, at the same time, his—what? Lover?—well, whatever Shigeru was, he was falling to what would surely be his death.

He had to come to a very quick decision. And what he decided, was that Pikachu was more than able to take care of itself as far as Rocketto Dan was concerned. But there was no way that Shigeru would be able to handle a fall to his death. No way…

"Sorry Pikachu! Shigeru!" And Satoshi let go of his own hold on the rock, twisting just enough to allow himself to kick it and send him falling downwards at nearly twice the speed Shigeru was falling. He only hoped that he would be fast enough, even as he pulled one of his PokéBalls from their clips on his belt. But he waited. He had to get closer. And for once, he had absolutely no room for error.

"Pijyotto (Pidgeot, not Pidgeotto, for those that have no experience outside of the dub), go!" and with a snap of his wrist, he released the large bird. The Pokémon seemed started to be flying straight down, and it was about to level off, when it received a desperate command; "Pijyotto, keep going!" Pijyotto had always been Satoshi's most loyal monster. And, true to its nature, it kept going, straight down, straight towards the rapidly approaching—and falling, Shigeru.

After a few more seconds of free fall, Satoshi found himself clinging tightly to Pijyotto's back, knowing that he couldn't reach Shigeru on his own. Only one problem . . . he needed to get _under_ the other boy in order to stop the fall. And, for once, the dark-haired trainer thought of something smart. He asked his feathery friend to do a Quick Attack, straight down. And suddenly, for just a split second, they were moving at Mach 2 (Twice the speed of sound), and it was just enough to get them level with Shigeru. He couldn't ask of anymore . . . they were too close to the ground.

He reached out desperately, trying to grab hold of his love, his life. In that moment, he realized it—Shigeru was his life, and he could not lose him. And he finally allowed himself to breathe when he felt the boot in his hand. He had snagged Shigeru's foot. "Level off!" he screamed, and just like that, they were moving forward instead of down.

But the force was too much! Before he knew it, both he and Shigeru were falling again. But they had slowed—a lot. _Maybe he'll survive_…

He felt the _whoomph_ of the impact with the ground. But it was strangely soft. And his eyes widened in utter horror when he realized why. He had landed on top of Shigeru! "Ooh…"

"Shigeru! You're alive!" Satoshi marveled, completely amazed at the prospect. He got off of him as quickly as he could, which, given the circumstances, wasn't as quickly as he usually would have been able to.

"Barely," Shigeru muttered softly, a hoarse cough following his words, which probably indicated a broken rib or worse.

"Are you okay?" Satoshi got to his knees, leaning over Shigeru's mostly still form. He could hear as the older boy breathed, and it wasn't a pleasant sound—it sounded ragged and labored, as if it had become a chore to do so.

"No, I'm not, Satoshi…" And it was very, very easy to believe. He coughed again, and this time, it caused him to spit up blood.

"Pijyotto! Hurry, go get help!" And that was all it took. The large bird gave a few flaps of its wings, and soon, it was gone, headed in the direction of the city, and the local hospital. Satoshi quickly turned his attention back to Shigeru. "Don't worry, Geru-chan ... you're going to be alright ... you have to be…" He softly stroked the other's cheek as he spoke; he was scared to touch anything else.

Even through all the pain, Shigeru couldn't help a small smile. Satoshi was so concerned for him. And he looked rather cute when scared. "Sato-chan … why'd you come after me? You … could have gotten yourself killed…"

"Any price is worth saving you…" He sniffled softly as he spoke. Shigeru looked as if he could still die. It seemed very likely. And the next words were out of his mouth before he could think. "I love you…"

Shigeru seemed to relax when he heard that. It was good news to hear. But Shigeru could also feel something happening. Something bad. "Sato-chan, just … remember, you … promised…" With those words, he slipped into unconsciousness, the smile from when Satoshi had confessed his feelings still upon bloodied lips.

It was all Satoshi could take. He crumbled on the ground next to Shigeru's limp form and began to cry. He was still crying when the medical team arrived in their helicopter, Pijyotto leading the way.

~~

Satoshi really didn't feel up to listening what the doctor had to say. His right ankle had been sprained, and he even had a hairline fracture on his left arm. He was in a great deal of pain, despite the high number of painkillers he had been given. But everything being said was about Shigeru, so he forced himself to listen.

"Ookido-san has been through quite a lot. Three of his ribs were broken, and one managed to puncture his left lung—don't worry, though, we managed to repair it in surgery. He lost a lot of blood through the ordeal, but he's been given a transfusion. Several hundred surface scratches and bruises. But the worst part is the concussion. It's fairly severe … and at the moment, it has him in a coma."

Satoshi had to resist a very strong urge to punch the doctor. He couldn't stand the way he was being so clinical about it. That was his _life_ in there on that bed, being tube fed, with dozens of monitors showing his vital signs! After he got his little burst of rage under control, he managed to ask; "Is he going to wake up?"

"Honestly, we have no idea," the doctor said with a sigh, looking at a clipboard he was carrying. "His brain activity is above normal for most coma patients, which is a very good sign, but, his body is so battered, we don't know if it's possible for him to come around any time soon. It could happen tomorrow, or it might not happen for several years."

"Thanks…" Satoshi muttered as a formality, even though he didn't feel it. The doctor gave him a sympathetic nod and then headed off down the hall. He had a very unpleasant task ahead of him. He would actually need to fill out a police report, this time. Before, it had always been the same—Rocketto Dan tried to steal his Pokémon, they took their trouncing, and tried again. But this time … not only had they succeeded in taking Pikachu, but they had hurt Shigeru.

With a very deep sigh, he walked over to a phone and dialed the number for the local police precinct.

~~

Satoshi couldn't believe it. How could this have happened the way it had? He was sitting next to Shigeru's bed, in one of the few places where a monitor or IV stand wasn't in the way. And the worst part was that it wasn't all over. He still had to call back to Masara Town to let Ookido-hakase and his mother know what had happened.

He made sure that the camera on his end of the line was turned off. If he showed up on screen covered in bandages, Ookido-hakase and his mom would totally freak. Best not to let them see until they reached the hospital, which they undoubtedly would want to do.

"Ookido-hakase?" he asked a bit nervously when the collect call to the lab was put though.

"Why, hello, Satoshi!" the old man greeted cheerfully when he recognized the voice. "What's up, my boy?"

"Um … well, you see, there's been an accident…"

"An accident? Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Ookido-hakase … the problem is Shigeru… He's in really bad shape…"

Satoshi could hear a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. "Where are you?" Satoshi told him about the Choju Town hospital. "Does your mother know, yet?"

"No, hakase… I called you, first, since Shigeru was hurt a lot worse than me…"

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell her. We'll both be there as soon as we can."

"Thank you, hakase…" After that, the line was broken.

_Thank the havens, I don't think I could have told her, myself,_ Satoshi mumbled to his own head. He then went back to Shigeru's bedside. Without thought, a hand reached out and began to stroke his cheek. He wondered if he would hear him if he spoke … he had read of coma patients still being able to hear while they were asleep. He decided to give it a try, even if it wouldn't work.

"Geru-chan … why'd you let go? Did you do it to save me? You almost died … and still might… How could have done that? Don't you know how much I miss you? We may have only been together for one night … but that was more than enough to bring back everything I always felt for you… But, I did make a promise to you… If you don't wake up in the next few days, I'll keep going… I'll keep trying to be the master we both wanted to be… I'll do it for both of us…"

~~

Several days passed. Ookido-hakase and Satoshi's mother had gotten rooms at a local hotel, but Satoshi refused to leave Shigeru's room. The one time the hospital staff tried to force him, a few seconds of being tied up by the vines of his over-affectionate Chikorita changed their minds rather quickly (Not that he told Chikorita to do it, but when all of those people tried to force him out… Well, let's just say the little Grass-type didn't take kindly to it).

Shigeru's body was slowly getting better. A lot of scratches had healed, and all of the bruises had at least gone down, if not disappeared completely. And Satoshi's own markings from their little adventure on the mountainside were dwindling—although, his arm would be in a brace and sling for another two weeks.

But the most important thing had not happened, yet. Shigeru still hadn't woken up. Satoshi loathed even the thought of leaving him. But he _had_ promised, and there was no way he was going to break a promise to Shigeru. He was going to _win_ in the Johto Pokémon League, no matter what it took—no matter the costs.

On the seventh day of their stay in the hospital, Satoshi managed to get into Shigeru's room while no one else was there. He took a gentle hold on his love's hand and spoke softly. "I can't wait any longer, Geru-chan… You made me promise to do this, and I have to leave now if I ever hope to fulfill that promise. I'll do my best for you … for us… I'll make you proud, and when you come back to me, we'll be happy together. I know we will."

He gave the hand he was holding a gentle squeeze, before bending down and placing a soft kiss on Shigeru's warm lips. He shut his eyes tightly as he stood back up, reluctantly letting go. And then, fixing his cap onto his messy black hair with his good arm, he turned and headed out the door.

~~

Ne, I didn't think the story would get this sad when I started writing it. But then, like most good stories, it developed a life of its own, and wouldn't let me stop. Well, I hope you will all give a review—Please? I _need_ to know what you people think of my works—and I hope you enjoyed what you've read so far. I'll have the next (And possibly last) part of the story up very soon. I already have the majority of it in my head. Well, see you all soon!

A Brand New Chapter – Chapter VI is coming to a FanFiction.net near you!


	6. Chapter VI

A Brand New Chapter

Chapter VI

By: _Shigeru_

****

Insert Legal Disclaimer and Shounen-Ai warning here.

~~

"There haven't been any changes yet, Satoshi."

Satoshi sighed. It was the same thing every time he called Ookido-hakase. He was starting to doubt if Shigeru would ever wake up. But he had hope. It was pretty much all he had, now. Pikachu was gone. Shigeru was in the hospital, asleep. Even Kasumi and Takeshi were out of his life, back in their hometowns, tending their gyms.

He was more alone than he had ever been in his life. But, he couldn't let Ookido-hakase and his mother see that. He gave the old man the warmest smile he could muster. "Thanks, Ookido-hakase. Let me know if something happens."

"You know I will." The screen went blank after that, and Satoshi responded with a large sigh. Ookido-hakase and his mother were the only people he really talked to, anymore. And then, only every few days when he managed to come across a Pokémon Center.

It had been over six months since the attack on the mountainside. Six months of being on his own. It was amazing how different he seemed, even to himself. He had more than doubled his training regiment. And he could see the results—his Pokémon had grown quite a bit more powerful, and the open slot in his team from losing Pikachu was hardly missed. But the friend … that was a bit harder to come to grips on.

But he had managed. It was rough. At first, he thought it impossible. But as long as he kept up the hope that Shigeru would wake up soon, there was always a reason to keep going. And he had made a promise. The Johto Pokémon League would be starting in just two weeks. He was going to do everything possible to win. That's why he had trained so hard. At least, that's what he told himself. But he knew it wasn't the truth.

The reason he had trained so hard was so he wouldn't have the time to think of how lonely he was. Wouldn't have the time to think of the fact that it was possible Shigeru would never wake up. Never come back to him. And he didn't want to think of that. So he had trained. And trained. And did absolutely everything he could to keep his mind away from those thoughts. It had worked, but it still hurt, when nighttime fell, and he could do nothing to stop his mind from going where it wanted, but he didn't.

And now, especially, when all he could do was spend the next two weeks training at the League village, it was extra hard. Only his team of six Pokémon as company. And so much free time. He couldn't train twenty-four/seven, and with no where to go, he had lots of time to think. Which was exactly what he didn't want.

But at least when the two weeks were done, he could go back. Go back to Shigeru's bedside and wait for him to return. He would have tried his best, and that was all there was to it. And that's what he had promised he'd do. Try his best to make both their dreams come true.

And then, he could go back.

~~

_Not again. No, don't let it happen again. I can't stand it._

But it did happen. As it had a million times since the real thing. Climbing down the mountain with Satoshi. The huge balloon. An earth shattering explosion…

He had tried so hard to make sure Satoshi had survived. Had even been about to give up his own life. But at the last second, Satoshi had come to his rescue. Everything after that was blank. Only the sound of Satoshi's voice, floating in through a sea of darkness. Threats to Rocketto Dan for what they had done. Desperate pleas for him to wake. Admissions of the love they had shared for each other since they were children. And, the last thing, a promise to do what he had said he would. He would go on and try to make Shigeru proud of him.

Shigeru couldn't take it anymore. The darkness. The images. The loneliness. He had to go back, and it had to happen now, or else it may be too late.

For everything.

~~

"Doctor! DOCTOR! Come quickly! Something's going on with Ookido Shigeru!"

Within seconds, a score of doctors and nurses had surrounded the bed containing the form of the young boy. The monitors showing his life signs had gone haywire. Beeping rapidly, alarmingly, as the body on the bed visibly shook and convulsed. Nothing like this had happened in the six months he had been in the hospital, so it was cause for great alarm.

They were trying to hold him to the bed to issue a sedative, when Shigeru's eyes snapped open, and he sprang forward with such force that many of the people holding him were send sprawling to the floor. A chorus of gasps arose from the small crowd, as the boy looked around frantically. By some miracle, he had woken up. And it took only a few seconds to find out why he was so worked up.

"SATOSHI!"

~~

"There's only a little over a week left, Shigeru," Ookido-hakase said to the picture on the screen. His grandson was awake, and seemed to be as healthy as ever, if not more so. It was amazing how much energy the lad had when he woke up. It was only a few hours before he was on the road again.

And by some means, he had managed to collect all of the remaining badges from Johto gyms, enabling him to enter the Pokémon League. If he could get there. But the oddest thing was that he had asked him not to tell Satoshi he was up. And Satoshi had been expressing a great deal of interest. Every time the younger boy called, his first question was always about Shigeru.

"Thanks, Ojiisan. Will you be at the tournament?" It truly was amazing. Shigeru was smiling in a way the old man hadn't seen in several years. It made him wonder a bit about what was going on. Especially with the two boys' sudden concern with one another. But if that were the case, why on earth wouldn't Shigeru want Satoshi to know he was up?

__

Ah, well, young love is so confusing. "Yes, I'll be there, Shigeru. Are you positive you can make it? You did just wake up from a coma…"

A laugh from the other end of the line. "Don't worry Ojiisan, nothing is going to keep me away. And I want to thank you for taking such good care of my Pokémon. There's no way they would be ready if it weren't for you."

"It was no trouble at all. It seems as if those guys are happy as long as they have food and can exercise, and they got plenty of both," he replied with a bit of a chuckle. It was a bit more work than that, but he wasn't going to make it seem as if it had been a burden, especially after everything that had happened. "I guess I'll be seeing you at the competition, you need to get moving if you're going to be there on time."

"Alright, Ojiisan. Thanks again! For everything." And then, the screen went blank.

The old professor sat back in his chair, smiling a bit. He was fairly certain something had happened between Satoshi and Shigeru. If not, they had both received pretty hard knocks of the head. But, it was a short-lived trip into possibilities. He had things to do. And the first thing was making plane reservations to Johto.

~~

"Alright, Ookido-san, you're all signed up. The first matches begin tomorrow, so make sure to be here bright an early. You're cabin assignment is number … one-nineteen," the smiling desk attendant at the League office told Shigeru as she handed him a key.

"Thanks a lot. I'll be here right on time," and with that, he turned and headed back out the door.

He wasn't sure how he had done it, but in less than two weeks, he had gathered the rest of his badges, and had even gotten to the League headquarters on time for the competition. Now came the hard part. Deciding whether to go find Satoshi now, or wait until after the tournament. Could he really avoid Satoshi for that long? It would be days of being this close, always within walking distance, always the chance that he would see him battling, or bump into him on the sidewalk.

But, yes, he would wait. It would be a nice surprise, to say the least.

With a small smile, Shigeru made his way to the cabin he had been assigned.

~~

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first day of Pokémon League competition! I think you're in for a real treat with this first battle! On the red podium, coming all the way from Masara Town, we have Satoshi!"

Satoshi offered the crowd a smile. It wouldn't do to be rude, even if he didn't feel up to smiling at the moment. But when the smile was done, his face turned to a grim blank, as he plucked a PokéBall from the belt around his waist. Across the field, his opponent was doing the same. It was the very first battle of the tournament. But Satoshi knew not to take even the first battle for granted. He lucked out in the Kanto League and he knew it.

But this would be different. Much different. He was going to work for what he got. And he was going to make Shigeru proud when he woke up.

He pulled his arm back and launched the PokéBall into the field. "Bakufun, I choose you!"

~~

"Burak!" The Burakki seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of the Okutan that was opposing it. A swift swipe with extended claws. And the Jet Pokémon collapsed in a tangle of tentacles.

The crowd burst into applause as the announcer blared to life on the P.A. system. "That's it! Ookido Shigeru has claimed another astounding victory! This forth round match is over!"

The stands full of people continued cheering as the Burakki calmly trotted back to its master. Shigeru was quickly becoming a favorite, as he seemed to easily defeat his opponents, one after another. He and his Pokémon looked like they were easily going to make the finals. Especially if they kept up the same pace they had so far.

The cheering didn't lessen until the trainer, his Burakki at his heels, headed through the small tunnel and out of the stadium.

~~

"Oi … good work, Burakki… Keep this up, and we're assured to make the finals," Shigeru said as he flopped into the armchair in his cabin, smiling down at his little buddy who seemed to have the same idea as his trainer—rest. The Ivui evolution was lying, curled into a black and gold ball, on the couch.

He let off a small sigh as he closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat. The tournament was half over. Only sixteen contestants were left at this point. And only another four rounds of battling. After that, the winner would be declared.

But it was getting harder. Not the actual battles, no, they were all fairly easy, especially with Burakki at his side. But avoiding Satoshi was becoming nearly impossible. With the number of names of the roster slimming down, it wouldn't be long before he heard the name "Ookido Shigeru." And he had seen Satoshi around the village more than once, and it was very hard to force himself to move away. Years of acting stubborn and arrogant helped. He would never allow himself to appear weak. Never allow himself to fail at what he set out to do.

That didn't mean he had to like avoiding Satoshi. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, with the possible exception of pushing the other boy away in the first place.

But it was only for four more days, at the most. And after that, everything could be the way it was supposed to.

~~

"Satoshi-san, the finals are about to begin. You need to get the stadium right away," the secretary on the other end of the line said with a curt, though polite voice.

"Alright. I'll be there in just a few minutes," he responded, resting the phone back on the cradle.

It had been a very strenuous week. Seven rounds of battles, followed by lonely nights. It nearly drove him insane, but he had hung on, and it would appear that it was paying off. He had actually made it to the final round. And he was fairly certain that whoever his last opponent may be couldn't be too much harder than the rest of the contestants, but he would not allow himself to underestimate.

Whoever it was, he was extremely good. Or else he wouldn't have made it this far. But, Satoshi hoped the match would be fast, even with both of them using six Pokémon. He wanted to go back to Shigeru. And that couldn't happen until after the match.

He headed for the door, grabbing the belt covered with PokéBalls he had draped over the chair earlier and snapping it on as he went.

~~

"Ojiisan, do you know who the other trainer is?" Shigeru asked his grandfather, as he got ready to head for the stadium. He was in the middle of spiking his hair.

"Of course I know, Shigeru," the old man replied, as he sat in the living room of Shigeru's cabin, watching the pre-battle show on the television. This was a huge event. At the moment, the hosts were going over how each of the trainers had done in previous matches.

"Who is it?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself?"

Shigeru let out a small growl, but he made his way into the living room, and stopped as soon as he saw what was on the screen. A video clip of Satoshi after he had won his seventh round match and was advanced to the final around. To face him.

A smile flittered across his lips. This was perfect! Not only would he be reunited with Satoshi, but he would have another chance to battle him, as well.

He turned on his heels and darted into his room.

"What on earth are you doing, Shigeru?" his grandfather asked, more than a bit puzzled at the boy's sudden burst of energy. He got up from the chair, and followed the boy back into the bedroom, where he was digging through a duffel bag.

"This is a special battle, Ojiisan," Shigeru replied, pulling out what looked like a long piece of brown fabric. "It wouldn't be right if I didn't treat it as such." And with that, he twirled around, in the process, fastening the cape into place. And then, as he adjusted the pad on his left shoulder, he headed for the door.

With a small shake of his head and a smile, the professor followed in his grandson's footsteps, making their way to the stadium.

~~

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a long week, but we're finally here!" the announcer called out through the speakers, as the crowd started cheering and clapping their approval. "The Pokémon League finals are going to begin in just a matter of moments!"

Satoshi walked up to the red podium slowly. He may be in a hurry, but this was the final match, and he had to make it look good. The League attendants had been very specific of how he should walk and act while making his way toward the field.

_Don't worry. Play around for another hour at most, and then you can finally go back to him._

"And, here we go! Making his way towards the field, coming all the way from Masara Town, we have Satoshi!" He waved to the people in the crowds once he reached the top of his podium. He could already see his opponent walking forwards. The form was completely in shadow, and appeared to be wearing a kimono of some kind. But it wouldn't be too long before he was able to see who it was. But concentrating through the noise was hard. It was so loud because of the cheering, and the stadium's amplifier effect didn't help much.

At least the crowd would calm down for the battle. And speaking of battles, Satoshi's opponent had just stepped into the light—

And his heart was suddenly in his throat. There was no way the person with the brown cape around his shoulders could be who it looked like. No way at all.

"And, Satoshi's opponent, also coming from Masara Town, coming up on the blue podium, is Ookido Shigeru!" Another thundering round of applause. But Satoshi didn't hear it. He couldn't hear anything. The crowd was also nothing but a blur. The only thing in Satoshi's world was the figure stepping up to the blue podium.

The same figure he had left behind in the hospital…

He saw the other boy smile. A warm smile he hadn't seen since they were children. Since the day Shigeru had started to push him away. And then, he said something. It was impossible to hear, but he could read what was on the other's lips. One, simple little message. And, slowly, the world started to come back into focus and he nodded. A smile formed to rival that of Shigeru's. The message was one that was going to be taken to heart.

"Never give up."

~~

(Author's note: I hope you all understand why I am not going to write a full, six-on-six battle. You saw previously how even one-on-one can take a long time with me. So I'm going to spare us both and just give little action clips. Imagine, say … five minutes between each clip, and each clip will last right around five real life seconds. Sort of like a better version of Ritchie's sixth round battle in the Pokémon League.)

Fire billowing from the mouths of a Bakufun and a Lizardon, Flamethrowers fighting for supremacy over one another. The end result a huge, smoking explosion.

A huge, roaring Gyaradosu coiling its body around a Kamekkusu, squeezing it tightly even as it took a huge, blue fist to the jaw.

A towering Saidon charging forward, smashing its drill-like horn into the styled, X-horn of a Herakurosu, a stalemate of strength arising.

Two different Pijyotto circling in the sky, raking and stabbing with talons and beaks, trying to best each other in displays of aerial maneuverability and speed.

A collection of Razor Leafs flying towards a Nattsuu, though being intercepted by a Solar Beam aimed at the Leaves' source, a large Meganiumu.

~~

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is spectacular! Never in Pokémon League history has there ever been a battle as intense and close as this one! Both Satoshi and Shigeru are tied, with only one Pokémon left! We have certainly been given a treat this year, and let's hope the remainder of the battle holds up to the rest!"

The crowd started cheering again. Shigeru was really impressed by how far Satoshi had come. He could honestly say this was the toughest battle he had ever had. Very different from back in Masara Town…

He flashed a small grin across the field. This is what he lived for—a grand battle, taken to the extremist of extremes. And for once, he could settle for a loss, because he could feel happy for Satoshi. This was as good as life got.

~~

Satoshi could see Shigeru grinning on the other end of the field. And he knew why. It was the same reason he was grinning himself.

The thrill of battle. The feeling of giving it all—and the possibility that it may not have been enough. This battle was far better than his final battle in the Orange Archipelago. It was amazing. He had never felt like this before. He felt … complete. It was the only work that fit the moment.

The Shigeru-sized hole he had carried since he was nine years old had been filled. And he was doing what he loved most. No wonder Shigeru trained so hard. It was the only way to reach this level.

And it felt great.

~~

It was a standoff. Shigeru's Burakki and Satoshi's Heruga were neck and neck, claw to claw. There was no telling who would win, as both Pokémon were starting to tire after several minutes of battle.

It would come down to this last attack. That was all that really mattered at this point. They both realized it. The crowd could see it. The stadium, for once, eerily quiet, as the spectators waited for the conclusion of the greatest battle they had ever seen in their lives.

"Burakki—"

"Heruga—"

"HEADBUTT ATTACK!"

The two Pokémon lunged at each other simultaneously, heads lowered and feet digging into the ground, giving them as much momentum as possible. They collided with a near sickening crunch, and both fell, unconscious, to the ground. They were both out cold.

The referee stepped out onto the field and examined both Pokémon. He then scratched his head, saying a few words into a small microphone on his collar. A few moments later, the announcer was alive and kicking on the speaker system.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems we've got a Pokémon first! This year's Pokémon League competition ends in a tie between Satoshi and Shigeru!"

The crowd seemed stunned at first. It took several seconds for the news to register. But slowly, one person at a time, a loud roar of applause and cheers started. The two Pokémon on the field disappeared, having been recalled back to their PokéBalls.

Slowly, the two trainers from Masara made their way down their podiums and towards the center of the field for the customary after-match handshake. But something happened that was far from customary.

Satoshi suddenly wasn't walking forward. He was running, as fast as he possibly could. And when he reached Shigeru, his arms found their way around the older boy's waist, beneath the cape. Shigeru's arms were should wrapped around the shoulders of the boy whose face was buried in his shoulder. Satoshi could feel something odd—the embrace wasn't as strong as it was the first time. The time in bed must have really worn Shigeru down.

But neither of them cared right then. The only thing that mattered was that they were back in each other's arms. They continued hugging, getting odd looks and more than a few rude gestures from the crowd. But they ignored it. Their worlds had considerably shrunk to include only each other.

__

The End

Well, that's all. I hope you enjoyed the story, but it was time to bring it to an end. I must admit … finding a way to get the story to end was very hard. It was as if the story didn't want to die. But, we all know it had to happen sooner or later. I just hope I managed to make a few of you readers happy with it.

For those of you who like my writing and wish to see more of it, give me a bit of time, and soon, my next story will begin trickling into FanFiction.net. I will warn you now, this story will not be as sweet. It's going to be Rated R, but for those who want it, in a few weeks, look for a story entitled:

****

S_H_A_T_T_E_R_E_D

I wish you all good futures, and lives full of dreams that come true. And by the way… Please give a review. It really helps when I know what people think of my stories.


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